Typewriting machine



29 1925. 1,567,872 J. A. B. SMITH TYPEWRITING MAcHiNE Filed oct. v. 1922 .77 g/ f Y t, j@ i A J l 7 [q j "J9 la s, f7' 9x AAJ 9 6k* Z 11 l 1l hl j f gz ggg 4 40 .4a/; W46

zo 4/ 2f 4/ 2 .23W f4# /J L :Q -W SI5@ E Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

Unirse srarss PATENT orifice.

JESSE A. B. SMITH, F STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERW'OOD WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW' YORK, Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

'.rYrnwRrTrNe MACHINE.

Application filed ctober 7, 1922. Serial No. 592,929.

To all whom, t 17mg/ cancelar.'

Be it known that I, JESSE A. B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Stamford, in the county of Faireld and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewrit- .ing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to typewriting machines, and more particularly to means for returning the carriage and releasing the feed-devices.

An object of the invention is to expedite the replacing of typed work-sheets with work-sheets to be typed, more particularly bills and other printed formsfwhich require the typing thereon of but a single line, or a few lines, at the most,`and which, therefore, necessitate the frequentkk releasing of the feed-devices, for quickly withdrawing a typed bill or work-sheet, and for quickly replacing it with a bill or work-sheet to be typed. n

Another object of the invention is to enable the concomitant return of the carriage and release of the feed-devices by the use of the left hand, while at the same time the left hand introduces an untyped bill or other work-sheet, and the right hand withdraws the bill orother work-sheet just typed.

Another object of the invention is to produce a feed-device-releasing and carriagereturning mechanism which may be readily installed upon a usual typewriting machine, particularly upon the standard Underwood typewriting machine, merely bythe addition and replacement of a few parts.

According to the present invention, mechanism is provided for concomitantly returning the carriage and releasing the feeddevices, which may be the usual feed-rolls, from the platen, such mechanism including a single linger-piece, actuable by the left hand ol the typist, while the bill or worksheet to be typed is at the same time inserted in the machine. More particularly, a feedroll-releasing rock-shaft extends along the 'top of the platen, parallel therewith, and carries said finger-piece adjacent and beyond the left side of sheet-guldlng means at the introductory 'side of the platen, and said sheet-guiding means may be a guide-chute of width ,than the length er' the Platen,

Other features and advantages will hereinatter appear. y

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the usual Underwood platen-frame equipped with the mechanism of' the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section, substantially on the line Q-2 of Figure 1, as viewed from the right, and further shows parts of theo-arriage and of the main frame of the machine,

also the kmanner of operating the mechanism of the present invention while inserting in the machine a sheet to be typed.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, as applied to a standard Underwood type-writing machine, there is provided a linger-piece comprising a laterally horizontally-extending depressible part 1 to be depressed by any one or all of the lthree fingers of the left hand to cast oli or release the usual spring-pressed front and rear feedrolls 2 and 3 which run upon the lower side of the platen 1. At its right end the depressible finger-piece part 1 carries an upstanding curved part 5 to be engaged by the middle finger of the left hand to return the carriage 6 towards the right for the begining of a new line. The depressible fingerpiece part 1 is carried by a pair of rearwardly and slightly upwardly-projecting finger-piece arms 7 fixed upon the left end portion of a rock-shaft 8 which extends above the platen 4 parallel therewith and slightly to the rear of the platen-axle 9. The rock-shaft 8 is journaled at its right end in a small bracket 10, outwardly from the right-hand end of the platen 4, and at its left end is journaled in a similar bracket 11, inwardly from thev left-hand end of the platen Ll, the upstanding brackets 1() and 11 being carried by` a transverse bar 12 detachably secured at its ends upon the tops of the right andk left end walls or end pieces 18 and 14, respectively, of the platen-tranne and in which the platenaxle 9 is journaled.

W'hen the linger-piece part 1 is depressed, it will rock shaft 8 in a clockwise direction.v as seen in Figure 2 and as viewed 'treni the right in Figure 1, to litt a 'torwarfglly-projecting lever-arm 15 fixed upon the right end of the rock-shaft 8, to draw upwardly a depending link 1G pivoted to the forward end of the lever-arinl, the link 16 at its lower .endbeflng pvotally connected by a pivot pin 17 to the upper end of a link 18, which forms a part of the usual cast-off mechanism for the feed-rolls 2. The remainder of the usual cast-off device for the feed-rolls 2 and 3, actuable by depressing the fingerpiece part 1, comprises a normally forwardly and downwardly-extending leverarm 19, to which the lower end of the lower' link 18 is pvotally connected, and which is fixed upon the right-hand end of a camshaft 20 journaled in bearings 21 depending from a tie-rod 22 connecting the platenframe ends 13 and 14 beneath the platen 4. Rocking of the cam-shaft 2O operates, by means of cam-forming flats 23 thereon, to separate downwardly-extending arms 24 and 25, which are respectively connected to, and form bell-cranks with, forwardly-projecting arms 26 carrying the front feed-rolls 2, and rearwardly-projecting arms 27 carrying the rear feed-rolls 3, said bell-cranks being pivoted upon the platen-frame tierod 22.

For simplicity of construction and also for use if found convenient, the usual feedroll release lever 28, terminating in a lingerpiece 29, is retained, being fixed upon the Outer end of a 'short shaft 50 journaled in the right-hand platen-frame end 13. VUpon the inner end of the shaft 30 is fixed a feed-roll releasing lever-arm 81 pivoted at 17 to the upper end of the lower link .i8 coincidently with the pivotal connection of the upper link 16 thereto. However, it is within the province of the invention to omit the usual feed-roll cast-olf lever 28, in which case the upper link 16 may be extended downwardly and connected directly to the cam-shaft arm 19.

Pressure of the middle finger of the left hand against the upstanding linger-piece part 5, which may take place concoinitantly with the depression of the depressible fingerpiece part 1 to release the feed-rolls, will return the carriage G, on which the platenframe is mounted, towards the right, the carriage 6 being mounted for letter-feed and return movements upon a rear rail 33 and a front rail 34, upon the latter' of which runs a roller 85 on the carriage, the rear and front rails 33 and 84 being on a main frame 36. The operations of casting off or releasing the feed-rolls 2 and 3 by depressing the linger-piece part 1, and of returning the arriage 6 by moving the upstanding fingerpiece part 5 towards the right, may take place concomitantly.

In the particular class of work to be done with the typewriting machine embodying the present invention, the bills or worksheets are commonly comparatively narrow and of less width than the length. of the platen. For effectively directing or guiding such narrow bills or work-sheets to the platen, the usual rear paper-table, not shown,

may be removed from the machine and replaced at the introductory side of the platen by a guide-chute 37, comprising a tloor portion 38 and upstanding side walls 39, which encircle the platen at 40, so as to be slipped thereover, the floor 38 of the guide-chute heilig extended beneath the platen to form a curved paper-apron 41, which is cut away in the usual manner to accommodate the feedrolls 2 and 3. At the rear of the platen, the guide-chute 37 is supported by a usual transverse rear bar 42 forming a part of the platen-frame. The guide-chute 3T is preferably located, as shown in Figure 1, at the right-hand end portion of the platen, and is shown as properly positioned to co-operate with two of the front-rolls 2, and corresponding with two of the rear feed-rolls 3, the front and rear feed-rolls 2 and 3 at the left not being used.

The finger-piece, having the depressible part 1 for releasing the feed-rolls 2 and 8 and the upstanding part 5 for returnng the carriage, is located above the left-hand portion of the platen 4, beyond and adjacent the left side of the guide-chute 37, the upstanding part 5 of the finger-piece being at the left and at the front of the upper or farward edge of the left-hand side wall of the guide-chute, so that, while three fingers of the left-hand may actuate the linger-piece, as hereinbefore described, for concomitantly releasing the feed-rolls 2 and 8 and returning the carriage 6, the thumb and index iinger of the left hand may grasp a bill or work-sheet 43 for introducing it into the machine downwardly at the introductory side of the platen over the fioor portion 3 of the guide-chute and between the platen l and the paper-apron 41 forming a part of the guide-chute 87. rPhe bill or other worksheet 43 may be thus inserted concomitantly, or substantially concomitantly, with the release of the feed-rolls and return of the carriage.

Springs' 44 and 45 engage the respective liront and rear feed-roll carrying arms 2:5 and 2? to press the bill or work-sheet against the lower side of the platen, and for returning the feed-rolls to their feeding positions when left free to do so. The upward or return movement of the finger-piece, having the depressible part 1. is. ot' course, limited by the cani-flats 23 on the cani-shaft 2O when the feed-rolls are returned by their springs 44 and 45 to their feeding positions; and the down ard or feed-roll-releasing nioven'icnt of said finger-piece is limited by reason of a small spacing wz sher 46 on the pivot-piu 17 (which latter connects together' the upper and lower links 16 and 18 and the lever-arm 81 of the usual cast-off lever 28) abutting against the lower side of a stop 4T formed on the right-hand platen-frame end-plate 18. Figure l..

right end of the platen from the linger-piece to the feed-roll.

7. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, a carriage therefor movable in letter-feed and return directions, a feed-roll for holding a work-piece against the platen, and means for releasing the feedroll and for concomitantly returning the carriage including a rock-shaft extending alongl the top of the platen parallel therewith to travel with the carrlage` and operating means directly above the platen lixed upon the rock-shaft, comprising a finger-piece depressible by the extended fingers of the hand for actuating the rock-shaft to release the feed-roll, and a second linger-piece associated with said lirstnamed finger-piece and engageable by a side movement of the lingers of said hand whereby to return the carriage.

S. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, a carriage therefor movable in letter-feed and return directions, sheetguiding means at the introductory side of the platen, a feed-roll to co-operate with the platen, and means for releasing the feed roll and for concomitantly returning the carriage comprising a rockable linger-piece mounted directly above the platen adjacent the front of said sheet-guiding means to travel with the carriage, said linger-piece having a depressible part by which it may be rocked to release o-r apply the feed-roll and having an upstanding part by which it may be moved toge'ther with the carriage for returning the carriage.

9. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a` platen, a carriage therefor movable in letter-feed and return directions, sheetside-guiding means at the introductory side of the plateii, a. feed-roll to eo-operate with the platen, and means for releasing the feed-roll and for concomitantly` returning the carriage comprising a. finger-piece above the platen and adjacent the left side of said sheet-side-guiding means mounted to rock upon an axis parallel with the platen and to travel with the carriage, said lingerpiece having a horizontally-extending depressible part engageable by fingers of the left hand for rocking the linger-piece to release the feed-roll and having an upstanding part engagcable at the same time by one of said lingers for moving the linger-piece together with the carriage for returning the carriage.

10. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, a carriage for the platen movable in letter-feed and return directions, a spring-pressed feed-roll to run upon the lower side of the platen, a rock-shaft jonrnaled on the carriage and extending along the top of the platen parallel therewith to one end thereof, means connected to the end @if therese-shaft adjacent the end @t the platen for releasing the feed-roll upon rocking of the rock-shaft, and a linger-piece carried by the rock-shaft intermediate the ends of the platen for rocking thel rock-shaft to release the feed-roll and for moving the rock-shaft endwise together with the platen and carriage for returning the carriage.

ll. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, a carriage for the platen movable in letter-feed and return directions, a spring-pressed feed-roll to run upon the lower side of the platen, a rock-shaft journaled on the carriage and extending along the top of the platen parallel therewith to one end thereof, means connected to the lend of the rock-shaft adjacent the end of the platen for releasing the feed-roll upon rocking of the rock-shaft, a finger-piece carried by the rock-shaft intermediate the ends of the platen for rocking the rock-shaft to release the feed-roll and for moving the rookshaft endwise together with the platen and carriage for returning the carriage, and a guide chute on the carriage at the introductory side of the platen of less width than the length of the platen, said linger-piece being located adjacent the left side of said chute to be actuated by the left hand while the same hand may grasp a work-sheet in position to be inserted in Vsaid chute downwardly and around the platen at the introductory side thereof.

12. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, al carriage for the platen movable in letter-feed and return directions, sheet-guiding means on the carriage at the introductory side of the platen, springpressed feed-rolls to run upon the lower side of the platen, a rockable cam-shaft for releasing the feed-rolls, a rock-shaft jonrnaled on the carriage to travel with the carriage and extending above the platen, parallel therewith, to the right-hand end of the carriage and connected at its right-hand end to said cam-shaft, for releasing` the feed-rolls when the rock-shaft is rocked, yand a fingerpiece carried by the left-hand end portion of said rock-shaft beyond the left side oi said sheet-guiding means, and having a depressible part for rocking the rock-shaft to release the feed-rolls, and having an upstanding part connected to said depressible part at the right thereof for returning the carriage. y

13. In a typewriting machine, a platen, a carriage therefor, a releasable pressure device for holding a work-piece against the platen, a carriage-returning handle disposed above the platen intermediate the ends thereof, operating,connections between the pressure device and the handle, the latter depressible for actuating said connections to release the pressure device at the same time that said handle is moved to the right to return the carries@- 14. In a typewriting machine, a platen, a carriage therefor, a releasable pressure device for holding a Work-piece against the platen, work-guiding means at the right end portion of theplaten, a carriage-returning handle disposed adjacent said guiding means, connections between the pressure device and the handle, the latter being operable for actuating said connections to release and hold released said pressure device during return movement of the carriage.

l5. In a typewriting machine, a platen, a carriage therefor, a releasable pressure device for holding a work-piecev against the platen, a carriage-returning handle, connections between the pressure device and the handle, the latter `operable for actuating said connections to release or restore said pressure device, and an auxiliary linger-piece operatively connected to the pressure device tions between the pressure device and the y handle, the latter operable :tor actuating said Vconnections to release or restore said pressure device, and an auxiliary yiingenpiece arranged to operate said connections to control the pressure device independently of the carriage-returning handle.

JESSE A. B. SMITH. 

